The Phoenix Flyer: St. Thomas More School Newsletter
May 13-17, 2024
Principal’s Message
Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
Dear Parents and Families,
This past weekend, I had the honor of witnessing a group of children receive First Communion. Many of these young people were from our 2nd grade class here at STMS, and we have been able to witness some of what occurred during their Religion classes this year to get them prepared for this sacred experience. Other students were part of our STM Parish community, including a family who had all four of their children (ranging from primary school age to high school age) participate in First Communion together. It was beautiful, moving and helped me remember what it was like for me to receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time. This moment was so special for me and I pray that it changes the relationship these students have with Jesus, as it did for me. The wonder, as well as the responsibility, of having Jesus dwell within us is to me, one of the remarkable aspects of calling myself a Catholic Christian.
In Christ,
Elizabeth Glaze
Dates to Remember
5/16 Intercultural Spirit Day (students wear traditional cultural clothing to promote the ICC Festival)
5/17-5/26 Book Fair
5/19 Intercultural Festival
5/22 Confirmation
5/23 Spring Concert
5/27 No School, Memorial Day Holiday
5/29 Kinship Mass, 9am (rescheduled from 5/24)
5/31 Jogathon
Intercultural Fair – Cultural Spirit Day
Thursday, May 16 – Cultural Spirit Day
This Thursday we will get ready for Sunday’s Intercultural Festival by wearing traditional clothing representing the countries and cultures we come from. If you choose not to wear clothing from your culture, it is a regular uniform day.
PreK 4 Mother’s Day Tea
Our students in the PreK 4 class honored their mothers last week with a special Mother’s Day Tea!
7th Grade Retreat
It truly was a great few days at our 7th grade retreat. Students enjoyed sun-filled days while they prayed, reflected and participated in challenging team building activities. We are sure they will have many warm memories of the days they spent with their classmates, building their sense of self and of their class community.
Thanks to our parent participants: Laurel Pehanich, Gary Ardiente, and Anna Golla for coming along and making our trip possible. Also, as many of you know, Mike Hequibal has the talent of taking some amazing pictures. He was able to be with us for part of the first day at retreat. Below are just some of his wonderful pictures, which truly capture the essence of the retreat.
Track Meet
On Friday, May 10, our students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade participated in a Track Meet with other local area schools at St. Mary Magdalene School. It was a beautiful, albeit hot, day and the students did a wonderful job competing and cheering on their classmates.
The Track Meet for grades 4th-8th was held on Tuesday, May 14th at the Everett Memorial Stadium. This was a much more elaborate event, but it went off (mostly) smoothly. We were all impressed with the sportsmanship and camaraderie of our students! A huge thanks for Mr. G, our fabulous PE teacher for helping to organize the event! Mr. G also made sure students had time in PE to prepare for the event and let the student choose (and help each other to choose) the right events for themselves! It was truly a student-centered experience! Below are just some of the wonderful pictures, once again taken by the talented Mike Hequibal.
Referral Program
Would you like to get a month’s tuition for free? When you refer a family and they enroll their child(ren) at STMS grade K-8, once that family completes their first year with us, both the new family and the referring family will receive the equivalent of one month’s tuition (single-child tuition).
Who could you refer to STMS?
Martial Arts Class (K-3)
Our new Martial Arts program for students in Kindergarten through Grade 3 is a fun and multicultural program that teaches respect for others, enhances listening skills and helps improve focus, balance, strength and fitness.
It’s not too late to register! Please see the flyer below to sign up to register. Each class is $15 per student.
Martial Arts Program Registration
Early Learning Center Programs – NEW
Starting in September 2024, we will have some changes and additional offerings in our Early Learning Center. In addition to our half and full-day options for 4-year-olds, we will now offer 3-year-old full day program. Also, our 3-year-old half-day program will now run Monday-Friday. Please see the flyer below and contact the school office for more information. Our spaces are filling up quickly!
Library
Scholastic BOGO Book Fair
Sunday 11-6 At the Intercultural Festival and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday after school until 3:30.
Click on the flyer below for more information.
Help is still needed for Tuesday through Friday! Sign up today. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F45AFAF229-49457136-bogo#
AR Final Dates
There will be two different “due dates” for AR this trimester.
May 24th – Cut-off for students trying to earn the AR Party; June 3rd – For classroom grades.
Library Final Dates
The last day students will be able to check out library books is Friday, May 17th. All books will be due by Friday, May 24th.
2024-25 Calendar Highlights
2024-25 School Calendar – COMING SOON
The STMS School Calendar will be finalized after Spring Break. To help in your planning for next year, here are some of the dates that have already been set:
| First Day of School | August 27, 2024 (1/2 day) |
| Labor Day Holiday | August 30-September 2, 2024 |
| Christmas Break | December 23-January 3, 2025 (school resumes January 7) |
| Teacher In-Service (No School for Students) | January 6, 2025 (school resumes after Christmas Break on January 7) |
| President’s Day/ Mid-Winter Break | February 15-18, 2025 (1/2 day February 14) |
| Spring Break | April 21-25, 2025 |
| Last Day of School | June 13, 2025 |
St. Thomas More Parish Events
Vacation Bible School, August 5-9, 2024. See the flyer below for information on how to register.
STM Vacation Bible School Flyer
Parent Club
Intercultural Festival
We’ve got a busy month ahead of us and here are some quick reminders for our upcoming festival!
The Intercultural Festival is on Sunday, May 19th from 11am-6pm!
Raffle Tickets: Remember to sell those raffle tickets! They are $10 each. For school families who sell raffle tickets, 20% of their total sales counts towards their fundraising commitments. The drawing will be at 4pm and winners do NOT have to be present to win! We will be selling raffle tickets up to May 19th! Please return any unsold tickets to the school office so we can distribute them to families who need more tickets. All proceeds go to St. Thomas More School and Parish!
Parade of Cultures – Calling families of the Parish and the School Community to Join Us! The Intercultural Festival kicks off with the Parade of Cultures from the Narthex immediately after the closing of the 10:30am Mass. Come and join us in your cultural attire and walk with us in our Parade of Cultures! If you don’t have any cultural attire that’s okay too. You can still join, but please encourage STM parish and families to join the parade! The more folks the better! Please meet at the Narthex immediately after Mass. All you have to do is get dressed, walk, and follow Father Okumu and the Swahili Choir! (see flyer linked below).
***We are still in need of 10×10 tents/canopies or similar sizes for the Intercultural Festival for Vendors! Please lend us your tent/canopy for the day for 4 volunteer hours! Some vendors do not have tents and we are needing them for their booths. Please start bringing them in this week so we can start assigning these to our vendors.
We still need lots of help! Please take a look at the Sign-Up Genius and see where you would like to volunteer!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4BAFAC2CA0FA7-48780711-intercultural
The Knights of Columbus are looking for students who need service hours to help them run the games in the booth! It’ll be lots of fun!
Please invite your friends and family to the Intercultural Festival to celebrate our diversity and the amazing community of St. Thomas More!
Thank you everyone for your time, your help, and continued support!
Francesca Abellera
St. Thomas More Intercultural Festival Flyer
Coffee & Donuts
We are looking for more folks to join our team next year, as well as someone to take over for Nick Golla to organize and oversee this program. This role is in communication with Cathy Bellande in the Parish and Principal Glaze to coordinate dates to match up when the school hosts the Masses (usually the 3rd week of the month) as well as organizing the volunteers for each Sunday we host. Super easy and a great way to get those volunteer hours. You will be trained!
Service Hours Opportunity with STMP
Are your students looking for service hour projects? The parish is looking for young people (7th and 8th graders) who can help with proclaiming the Word of God (lectors) and ushering at the Mass specifically for the Youth Masses. The Youth Mass is offered every second Saturday of the month or 4th Sunday at 10:30 am from September-May. If interested please contact, Violeta at violetaj@stmp.org.
Box Top$ for Education
Parents help us raise fund for STMS when you shop. It’s as easy as registering on the BoxTop$ For Education app the scanning your receipts! Please call Mrs. Heather Anderson in the school office if you have any questions (425) 743-4242.
Local Area Events
Community Health Fair – Edmonds
Edmonds Adventist Church and the WA State Department of Health are partnering to host a Community Health Fair vaccine clinic! The clinic will take place Friday, May 17, 2024, from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM at 8625 196th St SW Edmonds, WA 98026.
- New 2023-2024 Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines (Adults and Pediatrics)
- 2023-2024 flu vaccine (Adults and Pediatrics)
- Childhood Vaccines
- Mpox Vaccine
- Blood Glucose and Blood Pressure Screenings (Adults only)
Please see the flyer linked below for information on how to pre-register.
Edmonds Community Health Fair Flyer
Hot Lunch
Hot lunch is back!! Please see the link to the printable monthly Hot Lunch form, or stop by the school office for a hard copy.
Please note: The deadline for all hot lunch payments is Thursday. We are not able to accept payments sent in on Friday morning.
Check back for the March Hot Lunch Form
We need volunteers! Please use the Sign Up Genius link below to earn volunteer hours by helping us with our hot lunch.
Patrol
Please see the link to the current Patrol schedule.
Scrip
Hello and welcome to a new year of Fundraising! When filling out a Scrip form, don’t forget to put the new grade of your oldest student. Now through Summer time is a great time to spend on Scrip, because when school actually starts, you feel ahead, and less to raise until next April.
Speaking of next year, we are looking to build our Scrip Team. See at the end of this section and reach out to Therese, our volunteer coordinator. In-person scrip sales days could be subject to change depending on availability of the sellers for next year.
In the meantime, please see our SPRING Sign Up Genius to see where you can help:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AA5AB2AA1F5C70-48598345-spring
If you are interested in selling, you can show up to any of our in person selling sessions and you can learn on the spot! See at the end of this section for our current sales schedule.
USE SCRIP AT THE UPCOMING INTERCULTURAL FESTIVAL
Purchase Crafty B’s Scrip! They will have a booth at the Festival. We have about 20 on hand, and the rebate is 20%!
NEW ON RAISE RIGHT!
You can now share your Raise Right account with friends and family have them help YOU reach your fundraising goals! We have only less than 5 weeks to reach your commitment of $700!
Just follow these steps:
- Open up the Raise Right app (you might even have an auto pop up window to send invites)
- Click on Account at the bottom right of the screen
- Click on Settings at the top right of the screen
- Click on the 4th tab down to Invite Friends & Family
- Choose either email or text to share with Friends and Family. The link shared will be connected to YOUR account. (Not payment, just that what they purchase will go to YOU!
Lastly as always….WE NEED YOU! We are looking to add more members to our Selling Team for next year and onward!
Volunteers Needed!
We need your help! Please see our SPRING Sign Up Genius to see where you can help:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AA5AB2AA1F5C70-48598345-spring
We also need people to learn how to sell Scrip to be on a sub list and we are looking for core sales people for next school year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is where and when you can buy Scrip:
✨️In the timed parking lot-Wednesdays 8am-9am and Fridays 2:45pm-3:15pm
✨️In the Breezeway-Sundays (every other; 11/26, 12/10) 9:30am-10:30am
✨️Anytime, via the Raise Right app.
Questions, Comments, Concerns? Contact Your Scrip Admin Team:
-Gemma Ardiente (ordering & inventory) gemma_ardiente@comcast.net
– Rachel Rogers (bookkeeping) rrodgers517@gmail.com
-Therese Sarr (volunteer selling coordinator) sarrtherese206@gmail.com
-Nick Golla (communications) nngolla@gmail.com
CYO
Time to get ready for fall CYO sports!
If you are interested in participating in soccer (K-8) or cross country (K-8), please let Mr. Gomula or Lan VoBa (l.p.voba@comcast.net) know! Registrations will be due towards the end of summer, so start thinking about if your child would like to participate. Go Phoenixes!
STMS Spirit Wear
Don’t forget to order your STMS Spirit Wear. Use the link below.
Please note: Only clothing available in the Uniform Code Approved section are to be worn at school.
For questions on ordering, please contact Eric Miller, ericmiller22@gmail.com.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Are you handy with tools? We need someone to help us assemble a water table and an outdoor easel for our preschool playground. Please contact the school office at (425)743-4242.
Requirements for Parent Volunteers
Parents who wish to volunteer will need to be current on their Virtus Training, Protecting God’s Children and complete the Volunteer Handbook acknowledgement form.
For information on how to create your profile and register for a class, please contact Heather Anderson at heather.anderson@stms.org or (425) 743-4242 for instructions. Training and background checks are good for 3 years. If you need to renew your status, you can do so online at Virtusonline.org.
Archdiocese of Seattle – Safe Environment
Volunteer hours
The St. Thomas More Parish School Volunteer hours are due May 31, 2024! Per our school contract, families are to contribute 40 of volunteer time. If you have not completed your volunteer hours you will be billed on June1, 2024, $30 for any hours not served.
There is still time to do your volunteer hours! Volunteer opportunities yet to come: Intercultural Festival/ Family Auctions, Scrip, helping around the school, parent club meetings, school commission meetings, and more—watch for sign-up ideas in the newsletter!
Directions to log hours:
- Log into Family Portal (District Code: St-Wa)
- Click on Family on the left-hand menu
- Find Service Hours on the right side and click “+ Add”
- Fill out the hours and click “save”
- Hours will show up on the family page under Service Hours. You can add more throughout the year.
If you would like me to send more detailed instructions for logging in your volunteer hours, please contact Heather Anderson at heather.anderson@stms.org or (425) 743-4242
COVID, Flu and RSV
As we head into the cold and flu season, I would like to send out a general reminder about health and safety guidelines. We have a host of illnesses circulating, including strep throat, continuing COVID cases, and at least one reported case of RSV.
Recommendations of the Snohomish Health District as we navigate the cold and flu season include ensuring that if students have active symptoms from any respiratory infections and/or have a fever, they should not come to school. Students who have had a fever must be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication before returning to school. In addition, The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends teaching children to cover their coughs and sneezes using their elbow or a tissue, and to always wash their hands afterwards.
Also, as we have had a recent case of RSV, I am including a resource provided by the Snohomish Health Department on signs of RSV, in addition to general guidelines and benefits of vaccinations for flu, COVID and RSV.
*If you have any questions regarding STMS guidelines, please contact the school office at (425) 743-4242. Please note that although STMS guidelines are based on the Washington State Department of Health and the Snohomish County Health District, we reserve the right to add extra precautions.
